UPDATED 12/31, 11:20 a.m. ET: After Jack Harlow shared a video that showed an officer putting his hand on a fan’s neck, the Cobb County Police Department has responded.
In a statement shared with Billboard, the PD’s spokesperson said, “The Cobb County Police Department takes any and all allegations of officer misconduct very seriously. We are aware of the video snippet posted to Instagram involving our officer and a young woman outside the Coca-Cola Roxy. The incident is going through an internal review to get a full understanding of the entire incident before any potential action is taken."
It’s unclear if any action has been taken against either of the officers seen in the viral clip, although Harlow has made it clear he feels the cop who got physical needs to lose their job ASAP.
See original story below.
Jack Harlow is calling for a police officer to be fired after footage showed him putting his hand on a young fan’s neck.
In a statement shared via Instagram alongside a brief clip of the unsettling incident in question, Harlow explained that the footage had recently been brought to his attention, initially inspiring him to make “something good happen” for the fan. But that initial reaction, Harlow conceded, was “not enough.”
According to TMZ, the footage shows a young woman trying to enter the Thats What They All Say artist’s show in Atlanta, Georgia earlier this week. The officer in question, per that report, works with the Cobb County Police Department.
“I told the world to help me identify her so I could find a way to give her a hug and give her as many tickets to as many shows as she wants,” Harlow said. “But that’s not enough and its not a solution to a systemic issue that people who don’t look like me have to face. The next step is identifying this police officer and getting him unemployed as fast as we can.”
Elsewhere in his statement, the 2022 Grammys nominee reiterated his goal of identifying the officer while also shouting out the Black women who have always supported his art.
“I want this woman, and every black woman that supports me to know—I am so sorry,” he said, as seen in full below. “I want you to be protected and I want this guy to lose his job so fucking fast. I love you. Let’s find this officer.”
Complex has reached out to a rep for the Cobb County Police Department for comment and will update this post accordingly.
In a recent interview withBillboard, Harlow—who’s up for Best Melodic Rap Performance at next year’s Grammys thanks to his contributions to Lil Nas X’s hit “Industry Baby”—pointed to the responsibility that comes with being “a white man in a Black genre.” In the same interview, Harlow addressed the criticism some white rap artists have faced for “using hip-hop,” stating that he feels it’s important for people to know where he stands.
“It’s important that people know I love hip-hop and want to stay in hip-hop and want to be part of hip-hop and I’m using it as a vehicle to fuel my dreams,” he said.
Harlow also recently landed on Complex’s ranking of the 20 best rappers in their 20s. See the full list here.
